The easiest answer

It shifts the accountability. It avoids work. It reduces complications. Most important at all it is seen by many as risk free. Who can be held accountable when they said no?

No is simple. No is safe. No is permanent. No is easy.

And that is exactly why the answer is:

YES

Nothing in life is simple, safe, permanent or easy. We live in complex, changing and difficult times that call for Yes. Yes means more work and it means change. Yes is harder and it will be riskier. Yes will require you to innovate and be at your best.

Take accountability to be part of this challenging future. Yes is your pathway to change and owning something of which you can be proud.

So next time you feel like saying ‘No’, ask yourself

‘how do I make it a yes?’

PS: Perhaps a voice is telling you “but it can’t always be yes”. Challenge that voice for a little: What if things were done differently? What risks or issues would you need to mitigate to make yes possible? Push that voice hard before you succumb to it.